New Delhi: The latest commercial entry to India’s airspace, the no-frill Akasa Air, on Thursday received the nod to operate and will begin business as early as this month.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has issued it the Air Operator Certificate – the final step in determining an airline’s operational readiness.
The airlines, backed by billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, tweeted: “This is a significant milestone, enabling us to open our flights for sale and leading to the start of commercial operations.”
Founder and Chief Executive Officer Vinay Dube said commercial operations would begin late July. “This will begin our journey towards building India’s greenest, most dependable, and most affordable airline,” he said.
Akasa Air, with the airline code QP, received its first 737 MAX on 21 June, 2022. The airline will begin commercial operations with two aircraft and by the end of 2023, it will have inducted 18 planes.
It plans to add another 12 to 14 planes every 12 months, which will make up its order of 72 delivered over five years.
Akasa Air has placed an order for 72 Boeing 737 MAX airplanes, powered by CFM fuel-efficient, LEAP-1B engines.
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